Originally Posted by Bart
It's both amusing and somewhat disheartening to read all the panicked posts in here. Thanks for a great laugh, folks!
What "panicked posts"? Opposing idiocy does not equate with panic.
Originally Posted by Bart
However, I, too, am skeptical that this program would really work. I think observation should already be a basic part of screening, but not to the extent mentioned in the article, which isn't written very objectively, by the way....but that's never stopped anyone in this forum from forming an opinion. Race should be a factor, but not in the way most people think. Let me give you an example: in many cultures, particularly Arab and Latin countries, people intentionally avoid eye contact with authority figures (let's just pretend that someone wearing a uniform is considered an authority figure for the sake of this example). This could easily be misinterpreted as a form of deception, nervousness, etc. Actually, it is a sign of respect because in these cultures, to look an authority figure in the eye is a sign of disrespect as well as confrontation. And in many of these countries, confronting a police officer is something one wants to avoid.
About the "intentionally avoiding eye contact", that's not necessarily true in Latin and "Arab"/"Middle Eastern" cultures. I've spent my fair amount of time -- and then some -- immersed in such cultures and I don't much see that "intentionally avoiding eye contact" thing as systematically routine in most all Latin and Arab majority areas. And isn't minimizing contact with LEOs/security people who may focus "on me" more or less common even in the US? If the cops go to your neighbor's house, the busy bodies in the neighborhood will be curious, right? You think the people getting the unsolicited visit in the US are going to want the visit, whether at home or not? I have my doubts that all people -- in the US too -- welcome unsolicited drop-ins/interactions with the cops/security folks.